100 new restaurants this year—one of them is coming to Westfield
Raising Cane's is planting a flag on the Westfield–Carmel line, with a new restaurant slated for 14909 Thatcher Lane, just off the busy US 31 and 146th Street corridor. It will be the chain’s third location in central Indiana and the eighth in the state, a steady march for a brand that now operates more than 775 restaurants across 40 states and has set a goal to open 100 more in 2024.
The Westfield site leans into the chain’s high-volume playbook: a wraparound outdoor patio, a double drive-thru to move cars faster at peak times, and a dining room designed with nods to the local community. The plan is to run daily hours from 10 a.m. to midnight, a late schedule that targets lunch crowds, after-school traffic, and night owls heading home along the US 31 spine.
While the company hasn’t shared an opening date, early details point to a store built for speed and consistency. Double drive-thru lanes have become the norm for the brand, especially in suburban corridors where dinner rushes can stack cars onto frontage roads. Expect split ordering, clear lane signage, and runners managing the line when it gets long—small operational touches that keep wait times down and throughput up.
Veteran operator Zackery Cusimano will lead the restaurant. He started with the company at the original Baton Rouge unit and now steps into a role that blends operations with community engagement. That balance matters for Cane’s: the brand’s expansion strategy relies not just on volume, but on building a local following through school partnerships, team sponsorships, and fundraising nights. The company says it plans to be active in Westfield beyond the menu board.
This corner of Hamilton County is ideal ground for a chicken-finger specialist. The US 31 and 146th Street interchange pulls steady traffic from commuters and families moving between Westfield and Carmel. The area has seen a wave of fast-casual growth, but Cane’s brings a very specific proposition: a focused menu built around chicken fingers and the signature sauce, with crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and simple sides. Fewer menu items, faster execution—that’s the model.
Here’s what the Westfield restaurant is expected to include:
- Double drive-thru lanes designed for peak-hour flow
- Wraparound outdoor patio seating
- Local-themed interior décor
- Daily hours from 10 a.m. to midnight
The location choice fits the chain’s pattern. Cane’s typically targets high-visibility, high-access sites with strong lunch traffic and nearby neighborhoods for repeat visits. Being on the edge of two fast-growing cities broadens the trade area, and proximity to major sports, shopping, and youth activities in Hamilton County only adds to weekend demand. It’s a setup built for heavy drive-thru use, with the patio and dining room serving as pressure valves when the weather cooperates.
Founded in 1996 by Todd Graves and Craig Silvey in Baton Rouge, Cane’s has grown by sticking to its “ONE LOVE” approach: keep the menu tight and the operations dialed in. The name itself comes from Graves’ yellow Labrador, a bit of brand lore that has turned into a recognizable look and feel inside the stores. The company’s rapid expansion—100 openings slated this year—signals confidence that its simple formula still has room to run in crowded markets.
For Westfield, the new restaurant is another marker of how the city’s dining scene is changing. Growth along US 31 has attracted national players that bank on reliable, all-day traffic. Cane’s joins that mix with a concept designed around speed and consistency, which appeals to families between practices, office workers on tight lunch breaks, and weekend travelers passing through. The double drive-thru is the tell: off-premise demand still drives much of the fast-casual business, and chains are designing new builds around it.
Cane’s also tends to bring a burst of hiring. While the company hasn’t announced staffing plans for this store, new units typically add dozens of local jobs across management, kitchen, counter service, and drive-thru positions. That hiring push usually starts a few months before opening, along with crew training to keep wait times tight and order accuracy high from day one.
The brand’s Indiana footprint has grown steadily, and a third central Indiana location suggests strong regional traction. For customers, it means shorter drives and shorter lines. For competitors in the chicken space, it raises the bar on throughput and consistency, especially during the evening rush. Expect to see the Westfield unit lean hard on the double-lane system during Friday nights and weekend afternoons, when family traffic and youth events spike.
No firm opening date is on the clock yet, but the plans point to a store built to handle volume on day one. Once construction and permitting wrap, look for hiring signs and soft-opening buzz to kick in quickly. When the doors open, the late hours and steady drive-thru flow will tell the story: Cane’s sees this corner of Hamilton County as a high-frequency stop, not an occasional splurge.
One more thing to watch: Cane’s emphasis on community. The company says the Westfield décor will include local touches, and its stores often show up at fundraisers, school events, and team nights. If that playbook holds here, expect to see the new restaurant turn into a repeat gathering spot—part fast-food, part neighborhood hub.
